Marauders American Girl

The River and the Tree

Sirius arrived early the next morning. I saw the abuse written on his face. None of the Potters were awake yet, so I let him in.

"They hit you?" I questioned, not looking at him.

"That obvious?" he returned softly. I led him through my room to the bathroom. I picked up my wand on the way through.

"To me." I helped him get his shirt off. I winced in sympathy. Multiple bruises littered his torso, each of them different shades of purple and blue. I pointed my wand at his chest.

"You know what you're doing with that, right?" he asked warily.

"Entirely," I assured him. "It will feel weird and might hurt a bit, but I promise it'll help." He nodded for me to do it. I muttered the spell loud enough for him to hear and waved my wand around his chest. Even more bruises appeared. Sirius groaned.

"Sorry!" I whispered. I murmured another spell as my wand swirled the opposite direction and all of the bruises disappeared.

"You're a miracle worker," he breathed.

"Anywhere else?" I asked.

"My ankle," he muttered, looking away from me. I knelt down and rolled up both his pant legs. He flinched when I grazed his right ankle. It was insanely swollen. I hoped it wasn't broken.

"Episkey," I whispered, closing my eyes and waving my wand in a small circle. Nothing moved under the skin. I guessed it was just a sprain.

"You'll want to ice that, I think," I told him, gingerly touching his ankle. "But it should be alright."

"I've got to learn those spells," Sirius said in awe.

"Or just keep me around," I teased.

"I plan on doing both," he returned. I rolled my eyes, handing him his shirt. The two of us snuck down to the kitchen, his arm wrapped over my shoulder. The Potter's house elf was making breakfast when we got there. Sirius hopped on the table while I grabbed an ice pack and a cloth to wrap it with.

"How long have you been here?" Euphemia asked suddenly. I jumped in shock, not having heard her enter the room.

"Just about fifteen minutes," Sirius answered.

"And how long have you been awake, Kendra?" she questioned.

"A couple hours," I shrugged.

"It's 5:30 in the morning!" she said in shock. "I know you and James didn't get to bed until close to midnight."

"It's how I sleep," I shrugged. "Always have. Always will."

"It's not healthy," Euphemia declared. "I'll make sure you get to sleep at a reasonable hour so that when you wake up you'll have more than three hours of sleep!"

"Thanks, I guess," I replied slowly.

"There's a reason you were up that early," Sirius mused. "What did you dream about?"

"My dad," I barely voiced.

"But you loved your dad," Sirius thought aloud.

"I also watched him die," I growled.

"Kendra," Euphemia gasped.

"I don't need your pity. I'll be by the river," I stated, running out the back door. The river was a ways away from the house, a good place for me to go and think. I hopped across, using large stones to keep my feet dry. A tree hung low from that side of the river. I climbed onto a branch and dangled my foot over the water.

I woke up from nightmares. Last night it was my dad. The nights before it was Mom. I never got any reprieve. I'd gotten used to the sleepless nights. I knew I could never go back to sleep after I woke up, so I just busied myself with silent hobbies. Out here, on this tree, I could sing and no one would hear me. I'd write the songs in the early hours of the morning. The times when I felt the need to express my feelings with others.

I had drawn Euphemia this morning, my brain mixing her features with my own mother's. I needed to find a way to move past this. But it's my family, my parents. How could I move on from them? I promised myself that I'd be who my dad wanted me to be. But he wasn't here to remind me that I could, if only I would try. Everyone seemed to be downgrading me, replacing me. It was like I wasn't wanted over here.

"You run fast," Sirius gasped, appearing on the other side of the river.

"It comes with picking your fights," I shrugged. "I'm slower than I used to be."

"Well, I can't tell," Sirius stated. "I'm sorry. For bringing up your dad again."

"You didn't know," I replied calmly. "It shouldn't set me off at this point."

"Everyone grieves in their own way," Sirius comforted. "But you have to grieve. Move on. And that doesn't mean let go. It just means live your life."

"Since when did you get so wise?" I muttered.

"Let me take you out on a date," he pleaded, holding his hand out to me. "I promise to make your forget about everything. And if I don't, I won't bother you anymore. I give you my word."

"Help me down, will you?" I asked shyly. "I, uh, can't swim." Sirius hopped across the river, using the stones I'd used. He climbed up to help me off the tree.

"How'd you get up here?" he asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"It didn't look this high," I squeaked. I took his hand and he led me off the tree. Once the two of us had crossed the river safely, Sirius realized that I still hadn't answered him.

"Will you go out with me?" he asked. "I won't bother you again if it doesn't go well."

"I need to consult with my best friend first," I explained. "Then, hmmmm. Probably."

"I'll take it," he grinned. Sirius wrapped an arm over my shoulder and we both pretended it wasn't because he was limping.